HTC M8 Prime with 2K display rumored for September

While telling you about HTC’s plans for profitability just a few moments ago, we mentioned what the smartphone market might look like as we start moving into the trailing end of the year: Apple will have a new iPhone (or two), Samsung will probably have a new Note out, and somewhere along the line we might even see this 2K resolution GS5 that continues to be rumored. But last year HTC’s year-end offerings were a little weak, giving us the somewhat-confused One max; can it manage better in 2014? It might have a fighting shot if this next rumor is at all close to the money, claiming that HTC might join Samsung in delivering a quad HD “prime” version of its current flagship.

Right now, reports of this M8 Prime, as it’s being called, don’t go much further than a simple list of specs. We’re told the phone would move to a 5.5-inch quad HD display, run a Snapdragon 805, and get 3GB of RAM. It might support USB 3.0 and offer 16GB internal storage, but the other really interesting bit here (besides the screen itself) might be what’s going on with the phone’s cameras.

From the description we get, it sounds like the Duo Camera arrangement would return, but not without a few changes, bumping up the main UltraPixel camera to 5 megapixels and going with a big 18MP sensor to help with depth calculation. If that sounds a little odd to you, you’re not alone – the current depth sensor is just a 2MP component, so this order of magnitude difference is quite unexpected.

It’s easy to get excited about stories of a model like this, but for the moment we’d recommend restraint. There’s a long way to go between a handful of specs and confirmation that a model is planned for production, and even if an M8 Prime really is happening, these details could easily be subject to change.

Supposedly, HTC may be planning to introduce the M8 Prime this September. Perhaps at IFA?

Stephen has been writing about electronics since 2008, which only serves to frustrate him that he waited so long to combine his love of gadgets and his degree in writing. In his spare time, he collects console and arcade game hardware, is a motorcycle enthusiast, and enjoys trapping blue crabs. Stephen's first mobile device was a 624 MHz Dell Axim X30, which he's convinced is still a viable platform. Stephen longs for a market where phones are sold independently of service, and bandwidth is cheap and plentiful; he's not holding his breath. In the meantime, he devours smartphone news and tries to sort out the juicy bitsRead more about Stephen Schenck!